expanded his horizon to include pictures from around the globe and everyday life. For anyone that
has viewed Matthew’s work, you will know how well he can capture his subject.
What’s the most exciting thing you have ever lensed?
Well, besides food? (laughs) I had a chance to go to Rome and spend about two weeks there.
There wasn’t a lot of time to see everything I wanted to, as to do Rome justice you have to be
there at least a month. On one of the early afternoons there, I was able to get to see the Trevi
Fountain, and I was able to capture it. The lighting was perfect and I was in a great position to
really get the grandeur of the fountain.
What other photographer most influences you/what inspires you?
The one that most influences me is Yousuf Karsh. He has a way of capturing the subject of his
portrait pictures in a clean and used a theatrical way of lighting that is unique. One of the portraits
he is most famous for is the one he took of Winston Churchill on December 30th, 1941. I get
inspired by moments that are special and one-of- a-kind. The moments that you have to grab right
away and freeze it, and hopefully someone sees what you have done and appreciates it. Hopefully
they get it and feel like they are in that moment as well.
How did you get into photography?
I had taken on a high school photography class when I was young just on a whim and fell in love
with it. I drove my parents crazy with me traveling around with my camera and lenses, taking
pictures of everything and everyone. As soon as they saw me and my camera, they would go hide.
(laughs) I experimented a lot and had a lot of failures because of it, but it has helped me in my
future projects.
I noticed you shoot architecture often, do you have the opportunity to travel a lot? If so,
what is your favorite place to travel?
I have been traveling a lot more now than I used to and have taken photos of some pretty well-
known architectural marvels. I have to say though, it’s the buildings that seem to defy gravity like
The Dancing House in Prague or really unique buildings like the Lotus Temple in Delhi, or the
Beijing National Stadium, that just capture your imagination and wonder how they came up with
the idea to create art into a building. Being inside giant cathedrals around the globe, you marvel at
the bones in the building and how much love must have been put into those.
My favorite place so far has been Ireland/Scotland, as I can’t get over the beauty of the nature
areas and how vibrant the colors are. You can see the coast and the waterfalls there, rivers,
forests; there’s a lot for a photographer to capture. I’ve gone exploring inside some castles, have
had some of the local food and brews, and checked out the nightlife. It gets crazy fun during
football season!
What is the worst photoshoot you have ever been a part of? A time when you did not feel
confident in your shoot? What was the result? What did you learn from that shoot?
One of the worst ones I had was also one of the most fun, and it was a photoshoot of some of the
animals from this pet adoption agency. Live subjects are not as cooperative as stationary ones.
(laughs) It took much longer to shoot the pictures of the various animals than I thought it would,
and I couldn’t get the lighting right for some reason. It got a bit frustrating, but I’ve learned that
you need patience when shooting a live subject like children and animals as they are not always
going to listen to you and sit still. I’ve also learned to allot more time for those types of
photoshoots than I usually do.
Well, one thing is certain, we can’t wait to see what you do next. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
To learn more, see more and to contact Matthew David Parker, click here.
Follow Matthew David Parker on Twitter, here.
Big Thanks to the team over at Diamond Links for making this feature possible!
